Verus Capital Partners LLC Has $1.31 Million Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Verus Capital Partners LLC lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 37.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,214 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,112,675,000 after acquiring an additional 703,458 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in McDonald’s by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,997,789,000 after purchasing an additional 959,140 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,195,965,000 after purchasing an additional 76,090 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,474,749 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,895,768,000 after purchasing an additional 277,617 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $2,890,438,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity suggests some traders are positioning for upside. Investors purchased 32,245 calls, approximately 45% above the average volume of 22,241 calls.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical analyst Jay Woods said McDonald’s chart is beginning to form a potential buy signal, which could attract bargain hunters after the stock’s recent correction. CNBC article
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s continues to appeal to income-focused investors after declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share. Analysts also maintain a consensus “moderate buy” recommendation. Dividend strength and softer sales expectations Consensus recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on value meals, menu innovation, digital promotions, same-store sales, margins and management’s outlook when McDonald’s reports second-quarter results. Q2 earnings factors
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its price target from $300 to $290 and assigned a “neutral” rating, signaling limited conviction despite implied upside from current levels.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has remained below its 200-week moving average for the longest stretch since 2003, highlighting persistent technical weakness. Barchart technical analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect softer sales and weaker earnings, particularly as lower-income consumers remain pressured. That caution could limit gains before the earnings release. McDonald’s stock ahead of August 4 earnings

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:MCD opened at $270.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $192.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $260.96 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $274.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.69.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 61.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $331.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. BTIG Research cut their target price on McDonald’s from $370.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $375.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.92.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.